It took a killer hangover to get me on the bilibili. This floating Fijian bamboo raft isn't for the faint of heart but it offered my only deliverance after a night of tasting the island's award-winning rum. Drifting deeper into the forest canopy, I searched for a secret medicinal herb the island's first pirates once used while they were developing sugarcane for rum in the 1800s.
Next time you’re ordering your favorite cocktail at the J-Bar, ask about “the drawer.” And, after that, ask if your bartender has signed it yet. Famously known for its hundreds of intricately carved signatures, the drawer holds the names of every bartender who has worked in the J-Bar since its opening day in 1889. If you happen to be at the J-Bar at the right time, you might even catch a touring group from the Aspen Historical Society showing it off. Now shellacked to seal it’s inked history, the drawer is an Aspen landmark worth toasting to.
There is a cliff at Esperanza where I go to retrieve live sea urchins that cling to the sides of the warm granite, as they sunbathe and seek refuge from the constant crashing of the Sea of Cortez. The cliff is one of my favorite spots at the resort and I climb up there to carefully collect the urchins and bring them to my kitchen to prepare and serve them.
This past July I met up with the owner of Tiki Cabo Organic Farm at the annual pitaya (aka dragonfruit) competition in his hometown of Miraflores. Locals will tell you that this is where you can find the most beautiful women, the best organic produce, and the toughest cowboys. I promise I was only there for the organic produce.
Smoke curled around the man's feet as he leapt from stone to stone. Performing the sacred Fijian firewalking ritual, he was only one of a flock of fierce warriors who performed this straight-line dance across a pit of blazing coals, their sweat providing the only protective barrier between them and the fire.
“Just breathe,” he told himself as he navigated Telluride’s thrilling trek. Studded with steel rungs and strung with ropes, Via Ferrata—one of the few of its kind in the U.S.—soars 2,000 feet high and offers aerial views of a tree-littered valley and the town. The adrenaline-pumping, two-mile expedition includes navigating a rock wall, walking along a sheer cliff trail only a foot wide...
Studying to be a sommelier is no easy feat, but how many people can say they passed honeybee biology? I can, and just like the finest wines, honey has its own terroir, which is influenced by our flying friends, bees, that act as nature's pollinators. They have a knack for keeping vineyards healthy; plus, the nectar and pollen they extract from local flowers influence how our honey tastes.
I don't just plan trips, I change lives. When a couple comes to me in need of a romantic getaway, it's especially exciting to plan a travel experience that is not only out-of-the-box and inspiring but that also stops time. An insider tip I love to give my clients is the special opportunity to make their own scrubs at Hacienda AltaGracia's spa. The team of massage therapists assist you in mixing your bathtub blend with lush tropical oils, bottling the scent of Costa Rica for you to take home.
We only put 130 miles on our rented car— 65 miles to the Madeline, and 65 back to the airport. The car lived in the lap of luxury in the parking garage our entire stay, largely thanks to Telluride’s free gondola.
There’s one thing you need to know about Aspen; you’ll come for the winter, and stay for the summer. Ski season might be total heaven, but the world-renowned events going on during the warmer months make it tough to say goodbye come September.
A little minerality from the land and the salty, sweet flavor of the Sea of Cortez along with what is in season, organic and sustainable are my favorite ingredients. I like to think that all our raw ingredients have a story.
“Am I really here? Can you pinch me?” said my husband almost every morning during our coffee-sourcing trip to Hacienda AltaGracia. We came to select the perfect beans for our shop in Vancouver, as Costa Rica is considered one of the best coffee growing regions in the world - it's the only country where it's illegal to produce any type of coffee other than 100 percent Arabica beans. Though we tried the renowned Tarrazú Geisha coffee before - the most expensive coffee ever sold by Starbucks - we came for the bird-friendly beans found in the Perez Zeledon mountains, an area where mountainous terrain and warm temperatures collide to form the ideal conditions for Arabica beans to flourish.
A word of warning for parents— your kids are one Junior Je-Roamer trip away from breaking your croquet winning streak, taking the "ski-ripper" family title, or showing you up at fishing. Aspen may be an adult’s paradise, but it doubles as a kid’s disneyland. While there are a myriad of adventures to explore, a Je-Roamer favorite is T-Lazy-7 Ranch, where winter is for suiting up to tour the white wonderland via snowmobile, and summer months are remembered for riding horses through Maroon Creek Valley and catching a trophy-sized rainbow trout while fly-fishing for the first time. (Don’t worry, young in age or young at heart, all are welcome.)
You’ve probably heard that dreams come true at a Solage wedding, but what you may not know is that putting on the perfect day is in part thanks to the special surprises planned for the bride and groom (shh… more on that later!) and the less-glamourous, but equally important wedding emergency kit.
Among the lavender beds, clipped boxwood, and myrtle, sculptures curated by Arena Gallery are dispersed throughout Auberge Du Soleil’s grounds. Artworks, ranging from over 60 different California artists, change frequently and delight guests in a treasure hunt of sorts.
Spotted moray eels slither like snakes around the wreckage of MV Oosterdiep near Anguilla’s Mead Bay, while schools of fish dart around its overgrown remains. Lying at the bottom of the cold, dark ocean, ghostly shipwrecks like Oosterdiep capture the imagination—leaving us to wonder about the fate of its passengers.
When fresh snow blankets the ground, everyone in Telluride heads for the mountains. Luckily, Element 52 is carved into the side of one, making it easy to access the slopes. “Our private funicular transports you 200 feet up, dropping you on a trail with lifts,” ...
Forest creatures whistle and howl and a chill calm envelopes the wilderness: this marks the fall of night in Napa Valley. When the sun dips below the horizon and the stars take their place in the night sky, legends of the cosmos are born. Blessed by a Native American elder to always ensure your safe passage on our sacred grounds, stargazing at Calistoga Ranch is an out-of-body experience.
“Am I really here? Can you pinch me?” said my husband almost every morning during our coffee-sourcing trip to Hacienda AltaGracia. We came to select the perfect beans for our shop in Vancouver, as Costa Rica is considered one of the best coffee growing regions in the world - it's the only country where it's illegal to produce any type of coffee other than 100 percent Arabica beans.
Napa locals who know their fruit know about the strawberry stand on the Silverado Trail. Family run by the Saetern family, this stand is the place to go. You’ll know when you’ve arrived by the number of cars pulled-over near a small, unassuming fruit stand decorated in painted images of strawberries.
#AlwaysAuberge
